Improvement in excavating-machines



HAMILTON. EXGAVATING MACHINE.

No. 38,479. Patented May 12, 1863.

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' each of its rear wheels by means of a lever,

after specified. The carriage-frame A of such levers, E E, which are arranged relatively to UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, OF SOUTH PARIS, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN EXCAVATlNG-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and-aresident of South Paris, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, have made a new and useful invention having reference to carriages for excavating earth and discharging it into carts; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure l is a top view, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Flg. 3 a front end view, of an excavating machine or carriage containing my invention, the principle of which consists in so combining the said exeavatorrcarriage and or its mechanical equivalent, and so applying the front axle to the carriage, as hereinafter set forth, as to enable the carriage to be adjusted intoa horizontal position while the wheels may be resting on an inclined surface or ground. In excavating on a slope orside-hill the carriage and its operative excavating mechanism, unless maintained in the upright position which they have while on a level surface, are liable either to not operate to advantage or to be overturned. The purpose of my invention is to enable the carriage to ,be adjusted to a horizontal position, or thereabout, while its wheels may be on ground more or less sloping or inclined.

The'machine on which my present invention is founded is very much, if not essentially, like that described in Letters Patent numbered 25,408, and granted to me on the 13th day of September, A. D. 1859. My present invention is substantially such a machine with an addition or improvement, as hereinexcavator is supported by four wheels, B B' O 0, two of which-via, O G-are applied, respectively, to the journals of one axle, D, so made and'connected with the frame- A as to enable such frame to be readily rocked or tilted laterally on the middle part of such axle. Each of the rear or hind wheels, instead of being carried by an axle, is supported within the prongs a a of one of two bifurcated the rear end and two sides of the frame A,

as shown in the drawings. The fulcra b b..of

volve loosely on it, and it may be fixed in the.

said arm; One of two toothed or serrated racks, F F, is fastened to each side of the carriage-frame, and is arranged with respect to the longer arm of the next adjacent lever as shown in the drawings, the said lever being so made or applied to the carriage as to enable its longer arm to be placed on or moved v off any one of 'the teeth of the rack. By

either raising or lowering the longer arm of the lever we can either depress or elevate the shorter arm of such lever, and i n consequence thereof we can change the position of the .wheel of such arm relatively to its fellow-, wheel, and so that while these wheels may be resting on sloping grou'nd'the body or frame of the excavator-carriage may be brought into a horizontal position.

The excavator of the frame is shown at G, while the Windlass for raising it for the purpose of dumping or discharging earth out of it and into a cart is exhibited at E.

Fig. 2 of the drawings represents, in black lines, the excavator or box scoop as in a position ready for excavating earth while the .machine may be drawn'over its surface by one or more animals connected to its pole or tongue. Such figure also shows, in red lines, the position of the excavating-scoop and its supports while the scoop is'raised into a position for discharging its accumulations or contents.

. It may be observed that if only one of the rear wheels be applied to the carriage by means of a lever, the other wheel having its axle or otherwise permanently attached to the carriage so as to be immovable vertically rela tively to the carriage, an advantage would be 7 gained, but the machindgenerally speaking,

could only be used to advantage by being run or moved in one direction over the surface of land; but with both rear wheels applied to the carriage by means of two separate levers, to operate as explained, the machine may be run both in one direction and in its opposite over and across'a slope.

I therefore claim- My improved landexcavator, constructed not only with its front axle so made and applied to the body of the carriage or frame A as to enable the latter to be tilted laterally on it, but havin gone or both of its rear heels applied to the carriage frame or body by means of a lever, or its equivalent, to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose as specified.

WM. HAMILTON. Witnesses R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr. 

